We present shell model calculations of electron capture strength
distributions in A=28 nuclei and computations of the corresponding capture
rates in supernova core conditions. We find that in these nuclei the Brink-Axel
hypothesis for the distribution of Gamow-Teller strength fails at low and
moderate initial excitation energy, but may be a valid tool at high excitation.
The redistribution of GT strength at high initial excitation may affect capture
rates during collapse. If these trends which we have found in lighter nuclei
also apply for the heavier nuclei which provide the principal channels for
neutronization during stellar collapse, then there could be two implications
for supernova core electron capture physics. First, a modified Brink-Axel
hypothesis could be a valid approximation for use in collapse codes. Second,
the electron capture strength may be moved down significantly in transition
energy, which would likely have the effect of increasing the overall electron
capture rate during stellar collapse.Comment: 15 pages, 19 figure
